Energy advice and support
Action for Warm Homes: Your Home Energy Checklist
This checklist from NEA Cymru’s Action for Warm Homes initiative helps people to manage their energy bills and keep their home warm and safe this winter.
Warm Wales: Home Energy Advice
We have partnered with organisations across Caerphilly to pilot a new advice service led by Warm Wales to tackle fuel poverty. If you are a United Welsh tenant in Caerphilly, you can receive in-depth advice and support about how to reduce energy use, manage fuel debts and switch suppliers to save money. Contact us and reference Warm Wales.
Switching suppliers
Ofgem recommends comparing and switching your energy tariff or supplier to shop around for new energy deals and check whether you could be saving money.
It’s useful to have your postcode, the name of current supplier, the name of your current tariff and your annual energy usage or costs to hand before you start.
Hardship funds
Your energy company may have a hardship fund available to help customers who have fallen into debt with them. Check with your energy supply if they have a fund and eligibility criteria.
Help with payments and disconnection
Welsh Government: Winter Fuel Support Scheme
The Welsh Government’s Winter Fuel Support Scheme allows eligible households to claim a one-off £100 payment from your local authority. The money is to provide support towards paying winter fuel bills. The scheme is open to households where one member is in receipt of certain welfare benefit.
Welsh Water: Customer Assistance Fund
Welsh Water’s Customer Assistance Fund is designed to help those in severe financial hardship to clear debt and get on top of their payments. If you’re successful in receiving the fund, Welsh Water will set up monthly, fortnightly or weekly payment plans for your current year’s charges. Once you’ve made six months worth of payments, they will pay off 50% of your previous arrears. If you make payments for a further 6 months, they will then pay off the rest of your previous arrears.
Cold Weather Payments
If you’re receiving certain benefits, you may be eligible for Cold Weather Payments. You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days. You’ll get £25 for each seven day period of very cold weather between November 1st and March 31st.
Priority Services Register
If you’re living with a disability, are of pensionable age, living with chronic illness or are pregnant, you may be eligible for the Priority Services Register. You could receive priority free support to help protect you from disconnection if you struggle to pay your energy bills, or receive priority support in getting your heating back up and running in an emergency.
What happens if my energy company goes out of business?
Ofgem is the UK’s independent energy regulator and they work to protect energy consumers.
If your energy supplier goes out of business, Ofgem will ensure you always have an energy supply. Read their guide which explains what to expect if it happens to you.
